Yael Tobi

Yael Tobi is a partner at Munck Wilson Mandala.  She counsels and represents businesses and individuals in vast areas of civil and criminal litigation, including:

Complex civil litigation:  Yael’s civil litigation practice encompasses a wide range of subject areas, including business and commercial disputes, entertainment law and intellectual property litigation, copyright and trademark disputes, securities fraud, civil RICO actions, defamation cases, real estate disputes, probate litigation, labor and employment, asset recovery and post-judgment collection.

Forfeiture: Yael has developed a niche practice focused on forfeiture law.  Current civil forfeiture statutes allow government officials to seize property without bringing criminal charges if they believe the property is connected to criminal activity.  Yael has fought this unfair loophole, presenting numerous constitutional issues, and has successfully obtained full recovery of her clients’ assets seized by the government.

White-collar criminal defense: Yael has counseled and defended clients in connection with criminal investigations and charges involving fraud, securities violations, Ponzi schemes, money laundering, tax crimes, racketeering, and more.

Yael also has significant experience handling disputes involving international parties. As a former professional tennis player who spent her childhood traveling around the world, Yael has great insight and understanding of various international cultures. Indeed, Yael’s cultural intelligence enables her to represent numerous foreign and domestic clients, including Fortune 500 corporations, public and private companies, law firms, and high-profile individuals in complex high-stakes matters. Yael has experience in state and federal courts, as well as arbitration proceedings, international service of process, and international proceedings involving U.S. issues and parties.

Prior to joining MWM, Yael formed her own boutique firm, Tobi Law Group, where she served as founding member. Before forming her own firm, Yael practiced as an attorney for over a decade at prestigious international law firms, including Jones Day and Manatt Phelps & Phillips. Representing both plaintiffs and defendants, clients can benefit from her strong understanding of what the other side is thinking.

Yael earned her J.D. from Loyola Law School where she was top 10% on the Dean’s List and a contributor to the Loyola Entertainment Law Review. She received her B.A. from Pepperdine University, where she excelled academically and was a recipient of a full athletic scholarship. Yael played on Pepperdine’s women’s tennis team (ranked top in the nation), while she was also on the Dean’s List.

Representative Matters

Litigation and Business Disputes

• Obtained full recovery for a client who lost his gold and currency valued at more than $500,000, after the government seized the property from his safety deposit box at U.S. Private Vaults (“USPV”) and brought a civil forfeiture action in federal court;
• Obtained a favorable settlement on behalf of plaintiffs after prevailing on multiple 12(b)(6) motions in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit involving intellectual property claims, fraud, conversion, and fraudulent transfers;
• Obtained a dismissal with prejudice on behalf of a corporation in the United States Central District of a $20 million-dollar lawsuit brought by a large Singapore corporation for claims of fraud, breach of contract, and conversion;
• Represented a foreign entity in connection with the retrieval of a $2.5 million-dollar personal property on a writ of possession, resulting in a favorable judgment including damages;
• Obtained a $4 million-dollar settlement on behalf of an Israeli entity in a matter involving fraud and theft of personal property (diamonds);
• Obtained a favorable settlement after prevailing on a summary-judgment motion on behalf of a defendant in a highly contentious matter involving contractual disputes and fraud;
• Obtained favorable settlements on behalf of an entity and an officer in connection with multiple corporate lawsuits involving shareholder/officer disputes, fraudulent corporate transactions, and securities fraud allegations (including SEC and FINRA investigations and complaints);
• Obtained an order denying a multi-million-dollar fraud and contract claims on a summary-judgment motion.

Education

Associations & Memberships

State Bar of California

Honors & Awards

Leaders of Influence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys
Los Angeles Business Journal, 2022

Women of Influence: Attorneys
Los Angeles Business Journal, 2022

Top 40 Under 40, Pacific Coast Business Times, September 2011

Recognized Member of the Central District Pro Bono Panel

Bar Admissions

California, 2003

LA Times article, FBI misled judge who signed warrant for Beverly Hills seizure of $86 million in cash, Sep. 23, 2022. Yael and her client are mentioned in the article about seized assets under forfeiture laws. Yael fought on behalf of her client in federal court and won.